Unreal Tournament: Liandri's Secrets
by The Darkling
Summary: The horrible secrets of the deep space mining corporation, Liandri, are exposed by a group of activists. Please R&R!
1. I

Unreal Tournament: Liandri's Secrets  
  
In 2291, in an attempt to control violence among deep space miners - the new Earth government legalized no hold-barred fighting. The Liandri mining corporation, working with the NEG, established a series of leagues, and bloody public exhibitions. The fight's popularity grew with their brutality. Soon, Liandri discovered that the public matches were their most profitable enterprise. The professional league was formed - a cabal of the most violent and skilled warriors in known space, selected to fight in a grand tournament. Now, it is 2341. Fifty years have passed since the founding of Death Match. Profits from the tournament number in the hundreds of billions.  
  
Clans: Iron Guard, Black Legion, Blood Reavers, Raw Steel, Dark Phalanx, Thunder Crash.  
  
The Director stood in front of the crowd, rambling on with his promises. "And so, within ten years, we will have a better environment. Liandri's newest product on the market, the K157, filters the air better than any competing model." The crowd applauded and cheered in unison, hands going up amidst a buzz of questions. The Director pointed to an eager, attractive young woman whose arm was flailing wildly in the air. "Yes, miss. Do you have a question?"  
  
"Ah, yes." spoke the woman with a faint British accent. "What are we to expect of site 9B3, the Skaarj home planet. Are they to receive air pollution treatment as well?"  
  
The Director chucked slightly, and then replied. "Well, no. Our first concern is to clean up Earth, then move onto the next planet."  
  
To which the woman challenged. "But, was it not you who ordered the nuclear attack on site 9B3 only two years ago? Imagine the radiation that the planet's inhabitants have been exposed to!"  
  
The Director nodded quickly with his head, and two security guards appeared, ready to take the young woman away. "That's a bit too bold, miss." The Director waved dismissively with his hand, and the security guards, each grabbing an arm, took the woman away.  
  
As the woman was being dragged away, she cried, "Answer the question! Answer the question, damnit!"  
  
The Director smiled warmly at the crowd. "Any other questions?"  
  
Mitchell Hobbes stretched out comfortably on his leather armchair, eyeing the evening news on the T.V. whilst talking on his cordless phone. "Yeah, I'm watching it right now."  
  
The reporter on the screen blared, "And in other news, a local woman was arrested for disrupting a speech made by Liandri's Director of Services, Mark Kosner."  
  
"What the hell?!" shouted Mitchell as he stared wide-eyed at the T.V. "Can they do that?"  
  
The man on the phone replied, "Apparently they can."  
  
Mitch tore at his hair furiously. "This is bullshit! We make a peaceful notion and they have one of us detained?! I can't fucking believe it!"  
  
"Calm down," said the man on the phone. "Everything is going as planned. Soon we will reach our objective. Stay to the course."  
  
"Yeah," said Mitchell as he relaxed a bit. "You're right... as usual. What else is new?"  
  
"Nothing yet. I think they'll send someone to contact us soon, though. Someone who can explain what happened out there." said the man on the phone.  
  
"Good." replied Mitch. "That's a start." 


	2. II

Derrick Houste, a Liandri location scout, surveyed the documents in front of him.  
  
"They're telling us to lay low then, huh?" he commented as he skimmed the pages of the heavy print. "Well, what are we going to do?"  
  
"I'm not quite sure. I think we sent someone from BrickBat to offer a peace warrant." replied his subordinate. "But, like I said - I'm not quite sure. How much do you think they know?"  
  
"Enough to open a case with the Anarchy Bureau." said Houste in a hushed voice.  
  
"Do you think there's any chance we can just... pay them off?" asked Loetz.  
  
"Nah, these people are activists. They don't know when to shut up." said Houste, rather disappointed.  
  
Mitchell Hobbes stood in his apartment kitchen, confronting a boiling pot of macaroni.  
  
I need to learn how to cook, Mitchell thought.  
  
As Mitchell stared into the swirling macaroni, he thought he heard someone talking.  
  
"Hello?" called Mitchell, turning around. He was about to return to the boiling macoroni, when he thought he heard the voice again. Mitchell went to draw a a knife from a drawer, but was immediately tackled by a large, unidentifiable figure. Mitchell tried to free himself, but the man had him in a sleeper-hold.  
  
"Mitchell Hobbes. A.K.A. Louis Fischer. A.K.A. Charles Loetz. It is best that you go silently." soothed the large man.  
  
And then he was gone -- unconscious. Mitchell awoke tied to a chair, unaware of his surroundings. There was a loud, screeching noise - like reception on a microphone.  
  
"Do we have your silence, Mr. Hobbes?" came the voice from the unseen microphone.  
  
"My silence?" asked Mitchell quizzically.  
  
"Do not toy with us, Mr. Hobbes. We are aware that you obtained information on Skaarj home planet; site 9B3, and distributed it among your colleagues. They are all dead. And you, too, shall die, if we cannot have your silence."  
  
"That's impossible!" declared Mitchell. "I spoke with one of them this morning on the phone."  
  
The person on the microphone began to laugh hysterically. "Ah, yes." replied the voice. "John Kloggs. Well, a most unfortunate incident -- he did not live very long after that phone call. Intelligent man... he knew about our contact.  
  
"What contact?" asked Mitchell confused.  
  
"The man who attacked you in your apartment." said the voice. "Does that refresh your memory?"  
  
"You killed John." Mitchell said firmly. "He's no longer a threat to you."  
  
"The Liandri corporation, as a whole, is not capable of murder." informed the person on the microphone. "We do best in divisions. Your colleagues presented a threat to the organization, so they were neutralized. You must understand, Mr. Hobbes. This is for the good of the company."  
  
Mitchell shook his head with disbelief. "Why am I still alive?" he asked.  
  
"You are a valuable resource, Mr. Hobbes. To kill you would be foolish and wasteful." relayed the voice. "You know things. Things that can help better the company. That is why you are alive." 


	3. III

Mitchell gazed around, searching for an exit.

"Do not waste your time, Mr. Hobbes." said the voice, knowingly. "This is a secure room. You cannot escape."

"Well, at least untie me!" shouted Mitchell, struggling with his bonds. "I'm not much use tied up, am I?"

There was static coming from the microphone, indicating a pause. Then the voice came back, stronger than before. "I'm warning you now, Mr. Hobbes. Do not try anything."

Mitchell nodded, and a door opened, seemingly out of the wall. Mitchell had not noticed the door before. A large, masked man stepped towards Mitchell, and cut his bonds. The masked man then retreated through the door he had come through.

"Better?" asked the voice crisply.

"Much." replied Mitchell. "I am grateful."

"We house your fears, Mr. Hobbes. These are the crooked features of the future." spoke the voice clearly.

"Is all this necessary? Liandri now patents the future of mankind. You already destroyed my organization." replied Mitchell.

"But, that is not our goal. We are not trying to break you, Mr. Hobbes." soothed the voice. "We need information."

"What is it that you want?" asked Mitchell cautiously.

"Two years ago, Liandri deployed a location scout on site 9B3, the Skaarj home planet. We miscalculated the gravity and air levels. We sent a team of about three hundred builders to their deaths." spoke the voice slowly. "We covered it up. As far as the public knows, nothing ever happened on site 9B3."

"W-Why would you cover it up?" stuttered Mitchell. "You bastards. Was that your incentive for loss? A lie?"

"Your organization came very close to uncovering the truth about site 9B3. You found out about the nuclear attack and the air pollution." replied the voice on the microphone. "We could not afford the market losses induced by the incident. That is why we covered it up."

"Alright. So, what could you possibly want from me?" asked Mitchell with sarcastic enthusiasm.

"Soon enough, you will see." spoke the voice, knowingly.


	4. IV

"During Liandri's affiliation with the NEG, you and your colleagues were in your early twenties. Is this correct?" asked the voice.

"Yes. Well, most of us." replied Mitchell. "Why does that matter?"

"You also went by the alias Louis Fischer. Correct?" asked the voice again.

"Yes, but that means nothing!" Mitchell shouted. "What are you getting at?"

"In the year 2283, Liandri was unaware of the capabilities of site 9B3. When you were under the alias Louis Fischer, you were working as a Project Manager for UMF, Universal Mining of the Federation. What the public never knew was that UMF was a division of Liandri. Liandri began as a mining corporation, but then became a fighting league."

"A-Are you saying that I am involved?" stuttered Mitchell.

"You are every bit as guilty as I am, Mr. Hobbes." replied the voice. "And _that _is why you are still alive."

"You kept me alive to make me feel guilty?" asked Mitchell curiously.

"No, Mr. Hobbes. The company has a strong policy against killing its old employees." soothed the voice. "However, we are still devoted to containing our errors. The board has ruled that you know too much and cannot be released."

"This is strange. Since when has Liandri showed mercy? Are you going soft?" chuckled Mitchell. "What's wrong with killing me?"

"As I stated earlier - company policy. You are to remain here until a MGU arrives to wipe your memory." informed the voice. "As far as the public knows - you are already dead."

Mitchell struggled to free himself for hours on end. Later on, he was taken away and wiped of his recent memory. He is in a holding cell in a European prison. More information on this subject is unavaible. This file is closed.

_Years later, Liandri is still the single-most powerful corporation in the Solar System. With allies including the NEG, Liandri has taken control of New Earth and Mars government. The company will soon spread to foreign galaxies to increase its influence._


End file.
